He Almost Lost Her
by Ellie White
Summary: One-Shot written as an entry for the LJ syfy las contest. Prompt: "character faces their greatest fear." Disclaimer: Not my playground, just playing in the sandbox...


**He almost lost her...to a bird and a bullet.**

He took a bullet for her and earned him a hell of a bruised shoulder, a ruined connection to the Resistance and all of the knowledge in the Great Library. He had never hated anyone more than he despised Dodo.  
_  
"Leave her alone. Or believe me, the next one will be aimed at your head!"_

**…to a robotic rabbit and a swarm of suits.  
**  
Suits were bad, slow and stupid. Mad March, however, was a schizophrenic maniac. It seemed death didn't stop a cold-blooded killer's instincts after all, so they ran.

_The way I see it, I've only got one option."  
"Which is?"  
"Go back with you. To your world."  
_  
**…to a jumpin' Jabberwock.**

As he heard the beast's cry ringing through the forest, he begged Alice to seek a safer place and, as he expected, she refused to leave him.

_"Run!"_

He glanced back to see it chasing her in the opposite direction.  
_  
"Not that way…Alice!"_

Hatter caught up with her and socked the creature in the face with his "Sledgehammer". They fell into a trap and waited for it to forfeit its chase.

**...to her own selfishly stubborn streak.**

He woke up at the sound of a crow calling.

_"What was that?"_

_"That was the early warning system. Someone's broken through the perimeter!"_

Glancing at the bed, he found it empty and felt his heart race.

_"Where's Alice?"  
_  
Ignoring Charlie's mini-mental breakdown, he looked around and found the velvet purple trench coat he'd given to Alice abandoned on a wooden ladder.

_"No...NO! I need a horse!"_

Jumping on a horse, he and Charlie rode off to save her and he promised to, most importantly, save her from her own insecurities where they as a possible-couple were concerned.

…**to the two Tweedle torturers.**

_"Whoa!" _he exclaimed, as he almost lost his balance and tumbled over the edge of a giant pit behind the door he'd just pushed open.

_"Hatter!"_

It was then that it occurred to him that these sadistic freaks were torturing Alice with her fear of heights. What a crazy couple of kooks!__

"Jump!"

Seeing no other way out, Alice jumped atop the writing desk and took a leap of faith. She swung from the chandelier and into the arms of her hero.

**...to the double diamond douche bags.**

He watched as two suits in the diamond studded casino room were attempting to take Alice hostage. As soon as her gaze acknowledged him, he whistled to draw the attention away from her and socked the suit in the face. Alice yanked the second suit's arms towards the floor and let Hatter's fist knock him out as well.

_"Hatter, you're okay."  
"Yeah."  
_  
**…to her traitorous trust issues.**

She had a hard time trusting men. He understood, but he would not let that come between them. Luckily, after everything, that didn't seem to be an issue any longer.

_"I'm sorry I didn't trust you."  
"Do you trust me now?"  
"Completely."_

**…to a Pompous Prince.**

He tried to keep that bloody prince from steal Alice away from him, but he had failed. A stick was no match against the lies and promises of finding her father. And, bloody hell, Alice had fed right into them!

Hatter watched Alice ride off behind his Royal Smugness. Clenching his right fist, he felt the blood still boiling through his pulsing veins at the memory of him trying to convince Alice that Hatter was nothing but a useless, low-life commoner who didn't care tuppence about her. His snide comment replayed in his head like a tortuous mantra.

"_So, who are you going to trust to get you and your father back home; a Resistance insider and future king who's already scheduled your return trip back through the looking glass, who cares for you more than anything in the world...or this man?_"

Who did he think he was, telling her how Hatter bloody well felt about her?

After playing out countless scenarios in his head of the royal pain being knocked off his high horse, quite literally, he still felt no satisfaction easing his anger. He was determined. Charlie loaned him Guinevere under the premise of him riding in the hills. They quickly learned neither was willing to let Alice go without a fight and rode off to protect her.

…**to his own jealousy and denial.**

He walked through the door, trying to make it in time to stop Alice before she left. To his displeasure, he was in time to see her wrapped around the prince. Sighing and nodding in defeated resignation, he turned to leave.

_"Hatter!"_

Well, he thought turning back around, it was now or never.

_"Do you want me to stay?"  
"Hell no!"_

He mentally kicked himself. She flat out asked him and he chickened out and said no.

Treating this as goodbye, they hugged.__

"You know, you could always visit my world. You might like it."  
"Yeah...we could...we could do pizza."  
"And lots of other things."

Before he was able to answer, a tech pulled her away and pushed her back through the looking glass to her world.

It took David Hatter a total of 4.5 seconds to jump on through after her.

He picked up her unconscious body and got her to the hospital. He met her mother and was gratefully invited over to the apartment.

Now, here he stood, waiting and praying Alice would remember him and, hopefully, still love him.

_"Finally!"  
"You have no idea how happy I am to see you."  
"I missed you."_

Hatter forfeited life as he knew it for this glorified Oyster; of Legend or not. To his complete and utter surprise, he was okay with it. Now, he wanted nothing more than to stay with her. To love her.

Before Alice, his biggest fear was losing his hat. Now that he fell in love with her, he'd rather lose his life before losing Alice.

Only then would he go completely mad.


End file.
